About  BJP

our story

For the past 13 years, at The Shul of Bellaire, it has been our great joy and privilege to service Jewish families through a variety of programs, starting with the iconic Bellaire Hebrew School which has served hundreds of children over the years. Camp Gan Israel, Bar and Bat Mitzvah education and family holiday events are but a small sampling of the unique opportunities we have had to connect with children and their families in our community.  

We recognize the value of, and are inspired to do more for, the youngest members of our community and their parents. And so, we are thrilled to have launched Bellaire Jewish Preschool; a Reggio inspired, early learning center! 

BJP will not only nurture the growth of our preschool age children, it will also be a beacon of support for young parents and families.

We invite you to come grow with us, as we are passionate in our mission of guiding children towards reaching their fullest potential! 

Bellaire Jewish Preschool is focused on fostering each child’s physical, cognitive, emotional and social growth, within a safe, warm and nurturing environment.

our philosophy

Through your child’s experience at our school, we hope to cultivate a lifelong love of learning, and build within each child a sense of independence and confidence that they will carry with them well beyond preschool.

At BJP we believe that children learn through meaningful interactions and that play is the medium through which children explore the world, learn about themselves, problem solve, develop critical thinking and resilience, pursue creative ideas, and so much more for a successful and meaningful life. 

Our progressive curriculum is inspired by the most innovative educational philosophies with a strong preference for the Reggio Emilia Approach which emphasizes hands-on discovery learning and values the child as independent, capable, and rich with wonder, potential and knowledge.

Teachers are co-learners, alongside the children. Teachers listen, observe and document their work to provoke and stimulate the student’s thinking and learning.

Mainly, it is our Jewish values which drive our curriculum, environment and school culture. We model and encourage kindness, respect, confidence and responsibility.

Our school is an affiliate of The Shul of Bellaire which is dedicated to spreading the warmth of Judaism in a nonjudgmental and inclusive manner. Building community by bringing people together is essential to our mission, and we are committed to supporting you and your family beyond school hours. We hope to be your “village” and partners in raising your children, by offering many resources and opportunities to build stronger connections. We hope you will join our community and be a part of this truly special place!


Meet Our LEADERSHIP

THE TEAM

Esty Zaklikofsky

Founder & Executive Director

Esty Zaklikofsky is the executive program director at The Shul of Bellaire. Together with her husband, Rabbi Yossi Zaklikofsky, she has founded the Bellaire Hebrew School, Camp Gan Israel - Bellaire, CTeen Bellaire and directs all programming at The Shul. Esty has over 15 years of teaching experience in both child and adult education. She has directed, taught and created various educational curricula for Hebrew School, Bat Mitzvah education, and adult Torah classes. Esty lives in Bellaire, Texas and has six children of her own.

Paula Katz

preschool Director

Paula brings over thirty years of experience to the Bellaire Jewish Preschool. Paula has a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, a Master’s in Education with an emphasis in Counseling, and a Montessori Certification in Lower Elementary. She was the director of the Becker School at Congregation Emanu El Houston for 17 years. She taught in the classroom, headed up the Special Education Department, was the Coordinator of Lower Elementary School, served as the Lower School Principal and as the Director of Admissions at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School prior to becoming the director at Becker.

Paula currently holds an American Montessori Society Certificate, a Texas Teacher Certification for Elementary, and a director’s license for the state of Texas. She is also a member of the American Montessori Society.

Paula continues to be actively involved in education, working with the Houston Montessori Center training new teachers as well as consulting with families and schools. She is passionate about education and works to ensure that each child has the best possible learning environment.

Dana Katz

Dana Katz

advisory board

Dana Yudovich Katz was born and raised in Houston, graduated from The University of Texas and then from Northwestern University with a Masters in speech-language pathology. Prior to becoming a full-time mother to her three children, Dana worked as a bilingual speech-language pathologist. Dana has served on the Board of Trustees of The Shlenker School, UOS Goldberg Montessori School (GMS), Congregation Beth Yeshurun, The Jewish Federation of Greater Houston and has played an active role in the Parent Associations at GMS, Shlenker, and The Emery/Weiner School. Dana has volunteered at The Shul of Bellaire through the Women’s Circle and co-chaired their first gala with her husband, Kenneth. In her free time, Dana enjoys traveling and photography, and above all, being with her family and friends.

Julie Kaplow

advisory board

Julie Kaplow, PhD, ABPP, is a licensed clinical psychologist, board certified in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. She serves as Executive Vice President of Trauma and Grief Programs and Policy at the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute and Executive Director of the Trauma and Grief (TAG) Center at The Hackett Center for Mental Health in Houston. Dr. Kaplow is also Executive Director of the TAG Center at Children’s Hospital New Orleans and Professor of Psychiatry at Tulane University School of Medicine. Prior to that, Dr. Kaplow served as Chief of Psychology and Vice Chair for Behavioral Health at Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine. She received her BA in Psychology from the University of Michigan and her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Duke University.

Rhoda Saka

advisory board

Rhoda Saka is married to Steven Saka, they are blessed with two children and two grandchildren. Rhoda is president of Danziger Investment Company, specializing in commercial real estate. Rhoda has served on numerous boards, including The Emery Weiner School, Congregation Beth Yeshurun and Seven Acres. She is currently on the board of Friends of the IDF. Rhoda and Steve are avid supporters of The Shul of Bellaire.

More About Our
Educational Philosophy

Rather than following a standard curriculum model with pre-determined units of study, the Reggio Curriculum has an underlying structure based on guided learning and collaboration. This approach engages the interests and skills of each individual child, interweaving teachings on a broad range of disciplines through real world learning. Within each Reggio community, short and long-term projects emerge that highlight children’s learning processes.

  • The Reggio approach had its beginnings in 1945 in the municipal infant-toddler centers and preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. Loris Malaguzzi, an innovator in education, developed an educational philosophy based on relationships between children, parents, and teachers. He emphasized both children and teachers as co-learners exploring and living together, using tools of listening, observing, and flexibility to create the learning space.

  • Blocks Center: size & shape differentiation, spatial relationships & structural balance

    Science Area: cause & effect, measurement & exploration

    Library: reading readiness, communication & language skills, memory skills & proper book handling

    Snack & Lunch: etiquette & manners, social interaction & self-help skills

    Writing / Art Center: visual perception, creativity, colors & fine motor skills

  • Children have multiple and varied opportunities to engage with teachers and peers that help facilitate their social competence by:

    Recognizing and naming feelings

    Learning skills to regulate emotions, behaviors and attention

    Developing a positive attitude toward learning

    Allowing them to interact positively and cooperatively to resolve conflicts

    Enhancing self-esteem, self-sufficiency and feelings of self-worth

  • Children are offered an environment that allows for free movement and mastery of their bodies through self-initiation by:

    Providing opportunities to practice coordination, balance and motor planning

    Providing opportunities to develop fine motor skills by utilizing age appropriate manipulatives

    Allowing opportunities to assess their own risk

    Providing opportunities to develop gross motor skills by large motor experiences

    Enhancing sensory-motor integration

  • Children are provided with opportunities for language acquisition and written and oral communication by:

    Offering experiences that hold deep meaning and interest to the children resulting in conversations and discussions with their peers and teachers

    Providing opportunities to respond to questions and conversations

    Providing opportunities to communicate their needs and experiences

    Providing opportunities to describe things and events

  • Children are offered multiple and varied opportunities to experience written language through:

    Access to age appropriate books

    Daily storytelling

    Familiarity and recognition of written names throughout the classroom

    Modeling functional use of written language

    Children are offered multiple and varied opportunities to explore writing through:

    Providing various types of writing materials throughout the classroom

    Encouraging writing at all developmental levels including scribbling, markings and developmental spelling

  • Children are offered multiple and varied opportunities to encourage integration of math concepts by:

    Offering materials to organize and sort based on attributes

    Offering materials that allow for shape recognition

    Offering materials that help them understand concepts of measurement by standard and nonstandard units of measurement

    Offering content that allows for learning the passage of time

  • Children are offered multiple and varied opportunities to question, inquire, discover, document and reason by:

    Offering materials that encourage experimentation

    Offering materials that aid in observation

    Providing opportunity to discuss scientific concepts in their everyday conversation

    Providing plenty of time outside with the natural elements

  • Children are offered multiple and varied opportunities to gain appreciation for the arts by:

    Providing age appropriate materials that are available to manipulate and explore

    Providing materials that offer open-ended experiences to express themselves through music, drama, dance, and art

    Encouraging the process versus the product

Pressing Pause — But Just for Now

Our preschool will be on hiatus for a year or two as we reimagine what’s next. We’re currently searching for the right director to help lead this new chapter and look forward to sharing updates when we’re ready to reopen.